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FARMVILLE, Va. -- Xavier Cooks erupted for a 19-point double-double to lead second-place Winthrop past shorthanded Longwood, 82-68, Sunday afternoon at Willett Hall.
 
The 6-8, 185-pound sophomore filled the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, five assists, one block and a steal as the Eagles (14-6, 6-3 Big South) won their fifth straight to maintain a share of second place in the Big South standings.
 
Cooks hit two of Winthrop's 10 three-pointers to help the Eagles overcome a 20-point game from Longwood sophomore Kanayo Obi-Rapu and a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double from redshirt sophomore Khris Lane.
 
Winthrop took advantage of a shorthanded Longwood (6-15, 2-6 Big South) squad that was without injured starting forward Shaquille Johnson and was forced to limit the minutes of starting center and leading scorer Lotanna Nwogbo, who picked up two fouls in the first minute of the game.
 
"Difficult night for us physically," said head coach Jayson Gee. "I thought a major key to the game was when Lotanna went out early. It really redirected some things. I thought initially our guys responded to it but were just unable to sustain that high level of play you need to play with a really good team like that."
 
Nwogbo picked up two fouls on Winthrop's first possession, the first on Jimmy Gavin as he drove to the basket and the second while fighting for position on Gavin's second free throw. Longwood weathered his absence briefly, hitting 5-of-6 three-pointers and getting a three-point play from Tra'Vaughn White to take a 19-9 lead immediately after Nwogbo's departure.
 
After a media timeout at the 15:01 mark, however, Winthrop's Big South-leading offense scored 11 unanswered points as part of a 24-2 run that tipped the balance for good. Winthrop never trailed by fewer than 10 points the rest of the way, coasting on a 16-point halftime lead despite being outscored by Longwood in the second half.
 
Nwogbo was limited to just five minutes in the first half and picked up his third foul with eight minutes to go before halftime. He played a season-low 18 minutes and scored just seven points, snapping his streak of 10 consecutive double-figure scoring games.
 
"I think our guys are ready to play. Their attitudes, their mindsets, their buy-in, that's all there," Gee said. "We're just dealing with the reality of bodies in where we are right now. The inability to sustain that tonight had something to do with that, and the fact that you're playing a really good team."
 
Winthrop entered the night averaging a Big South-best 82.4 points per game and put that high-octane offense on display during a 48-point first half. Cooks was one of four double-figure scorers, leading Gavin who poured in 16 points, Keon Johnson who added 13 and Zach Price who chipped in 10.
 
Winthrop led by as many as 21 points in the second half before the Lancers opened up an 11-2 run during a five-minute span inside the final 10 minutes of the game. Cooks swung the momentum back to Winthrop with one play, however, driving through a crowded lane for a layup, drawing a foul and sinking the free throw for a three-point play.
 
The play halted seven consecutive points for the Lancers, who would not score on back-to-back plays the rest of the way.
 
Lane filled Nwogbo's absence in the post, pulling in 10 rebounds for his fourth double-digit rebounding game of the season. He knocked down two three-pointers and finished as one of four double-figure scorers, joining Obi-Rapu, White who had 11 points, and Darrion Allen who added 10.
 
Obi-Rapu's 20-point game was his third of the season in Willett Hall and his first since back-to-back 20-point outbursts against Randolph and La Roche at the start of the season. He hit 4-of-7 three-pointers for his most treys since returning from a hamstring injury that forced him to miss three games at the end of December.
 
"We need him to do that, and we need him to do that consistently," Gee said. "We've been communicating that to him, letting him know that and that he can't get too down on himself. That player that was there at the beginning of the year is still here. … Nobody gets more extra shots, no one does more than he does to get to where he is. I was glad to see him do that, and now I'm expecting that the rest of the year."
 
Longwood returns to Willett Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 27, to host in-state rival Radford at 7 p.m.
 
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